People and Places

All over the world in different countries, cultures, tongues, and colors are people who have the same basic desire for happiness and respect from his fellow men. We are the same all over as members of the human race. If we honor each other's boundaries with propriety and consideration our voyage thru life can be rich in knowledge and friendship..........AMOR PATRIAE

PEOPLE AND PLACES

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Trees Speak to the Soul of Human Beings

In a stunning new map, geographer and GIS analyst Robert Szucs has plotted the sprawling forests that blanket the continental United States.

The map highlights the striking difference between the landscape of the coasts and the central US, where what appears to be a massive blank space reveals land that is dominated by deserts and plains instead of trees.

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In a stunning new map, geographer and GIS analyst Robert Szucs has plotted the sprawling forests that blanket the continental United States. The map highlights the striking difference between the landscape of the coasts and the central US. Forest cover is illustrated in varying shades of green

HOW TO READ IT

The map plots forest cover in the US using varying shades of green.

The brightest areas represent those where forests are densest (100%), while black indicates areas with no forest cover.

The map was made using the open-source QGIS software.In the high-resolution new map shared this week on Imgur, forest cover is illustrated in varying shades of green.

The brightest areas represent those where the forests are densest, while black indicates spaces with no forests at all.

The East Coast, along with the southeastern US and the Great Lakes region, makes up the largest chunk of forested area in the country – though industrialization and urbanization have brought extensive changes to the areas in the last few centuries.

The Eastern Deciduous Forest ecosystem stretches all the way from Florida to Canada, branching out across New England and up through Minnesota.

It covers 26 states, according to the National Park Service, with 10 different forest regions that range from broad-leafed deciduous trees to the evergreen conifers.

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On the West Coast, forest cover stretches from southern California up to Canada. Further north, the forests become far bigger, with northern California, Oregon, and Washington shown to be dominated by areas of bright green

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The Eastern Deciduous Forest ecosystem stretches all the way from Florida to Canada, branching out across New England and up through Minnesota. It covers 26 states, according to the National Park Service, with 10 different forest regions that range from broad-leafed deciduous trees to the evergreen conifers

On the West Coast, forest cover stretches from southern California, though more sparse than on the opposite end of the country, up to Canada.

Further north, the forests become far bigger, with northern California, Oregon, and Washington shown to be dominated by areas of bright green.

The map also reveals where forests blanket portions of Montana, Idaho, and Colorado.

Szucs’s latest creation was made using the open-source QGIS software, and is his first new design in nearly a year.

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The East Coast, along with the southeastern US and the Great Lakes region, makes up the largest chunk of forested area in the country – though industrialization and urbanization have brought extensive changes to the areas in the last few centuries

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In the past, the map enthusiast has unveiled numerous striking visualizations of the natural processes all around us. His past work, available on Etsy , includes colourful maps of river basins all around the world. The breathtaking visualizations (the US is shown above, for example) rely on Strahler Stream Order Classification

EXPERTS WARN CLIMATE CHANGE IS CREATING 'GHOST FORESTS' ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

Dead trees along vast swaths of coastline invaded by rising seas, are known as ‘ghost forests.’

And, they’re something scientists call one of the most visible markers of climate change in the Eastern United States.

The process has occurred naturally for thousands of years, but it has accelerated in recent decades as polar ice melts and raises sea levels, scientists say, pushing salt water farther inland and killing trees in what used to be thriving freshwater plains.

Efforts are underway worldwide to determine exactly how quickly the creation of ghost forests is increasing.

'It was dry, usable land 50 years ago; now it's marshes with dead stumps and dead trees,’ said Matthew Kirwan, a professor at Virginia Institute of Marine Science who is studying ghost forests in his state and Maryland.

It is happening around the world, but researchers say new ghost forests are particularly apparent in North America, with hundreds of thousands of acres of salt-killed trees stretching from Canada down the East Coast, around Florida and over to Texas. In the past, the map enthusiast has unveiled numerous striking visualizations of the natural processes all around us.

His past work, available on Etsy, includes colourful maps of river basins all around the world.

The breathtaking visualizations rely on Strahler Stream Order Classification, plotting the individual flows involved in each particular basin as snaking ‘veins’ of varying thickness.

These maps reflect a ‘lifelong passion for beautiful maps,’ combining scientific expertise with art to create maps that are both ‘informative and beautiful,’ Szucs explains on his website, where he goes by Grasshopper Geography.

It is no wonder that trees have captured the human imagination since the beginning of time. Their strength, deeply rooted in the Earth, is an inspiration. Their trunk and branches are a wonder of nature because they stand sturdy and impenetrable most of the time, yet they can flex and sway with the wind when needed.

The whisper of a breeze in their leaves or the sight of ants marching in a straight line up or down their trunks remind us of the magic of nature that trees embody. They live for hundreds or even thousands of years, and so we revere them as keepers of past secrets and sentinels of the future.

Watching their cycles of growth, shedding of leaves, and re-flowering in the spring, people have long perceived trees as powerful symbols of life, death, and renewal. Since the beginning of time, humans have had a sense that trees are sentient beings just like us, that they can feel pain, that they bleed when they are hurt. Trees even look like us. People have a trunk; trees have arms. And so we innately feel a deep connection to them.

Many people say they can feel a tree’s vibrational energy when placing their hand upon its bark. With their deep roots, trees carry significant grounding energy. We naturally feel peace and serenity when walking in the shade of trees or on a forest trail.

A recent study shows that trees remove so much pollution from the air that they “prevented 850 human deaths and 670,000 cases of acute respiratory symptoms in 2010 alone.” When an insect called the emerald ash borer killed off a significant number of trees in the American Midwest in the 1990’s and 2000’s, rates of human death from cardiovascular and respiratory illness increased.

More difficult to quantify is the psychological effect that trees have on people. People who spend time outdoors, or even those who have access to windows looking out at trees, have been shown to have better health than those who do not.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Jaguar I-Pace pre-production car taken on a 200-mile range test along the Californian West Coast

Most northern point of the route took the car within close range of Tesla's factory in South Freemont

Jaguar confirmed that prices and specification of its first all-electric premium car would be available in March

It's expected to ring in at £60,000 - that's £10,000 less than the most affordable Tesla Model X on sale now

If Elon Musk had peered out of his California office window last week he might have caught a glimpse of the new electric car that's set to challenge his Tesla brand's market dominance.

The vehicle in question is Jaguar's 2018 I-Pace, an all-electric premium SUV that is set to undercut the most affordable Tesla equivalent - the Model X 75D - by £10,000 and wipe the floor with it in a game of Top Trumps.

The British manufacturer has been conducting final test on a pre-production car in the US, including a 200-mile drive along California's West Coast on a single charge, ahead of it going on sale in March with a price tag in the region of £60,000.

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Tesla tester: Jaguar's heavily camouflaged I-Pace electric SUV completed final production-ready tests in California ahead of order books being opened in March

Jaguar engineers have been snapped taking the near production-ready I-Pace on a long-distance range test from Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles to Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, without having to stop to replenish electricity in the vehicle's Lithium-Ion battery.

The most northern point of that route took the I-Pace within 200 miles of Tesla's South Freemont factory, which looks set to produce some 500,000 Model S, Model X and Model 3 vehicles in 2018.

Jaguar said the US-based test was to mark the one-year anniversary of the I-Pace's debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show, though the zero-emissions sprint through California could easily have been a warning shot to Tesla that it will begin to face stiff competition from rival mainstream vehicle makers from 2018.

Buyers can even place a deposit on the car now, if they so choose.

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The electric SUV was taken on a 200-mile range test to ensure it could cope with a long-distance trip on a single charge

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While Jaguar hasn't confirmed any figures for the production model yet, the concept version of the I-Pace was said to have 396bhp

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That's enough power to propel the zero-emissions car from 0 to 62mph in less than 4 seconds - almost a second quicker than the lowest-priced Tesla Model X

Jaguar said thousands of potential customers have already hit the ‘I want one’ button on its website to place a deposit or register a strong interest in the hotly anticipated electric SUV.

Not only does this guarantee them guestlist-like first access to the order books that open in March, but a lucky few will also help Jaguar's engineers conduct the final validation tests before the I-Pace is rubber-stamped for production.

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Side by side: Tesla's Model X (left) is quite a bit bigger than Jaguar's I-Pace (right) and features 7 seats instead of 5 and Falcon-wing rear doors

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The Jaguar I-Pace Concept debuted at the Los Angeles Motor Show last year and was back again in 2017. From the looks of the near production ready car, most of it looks very similar indeed

While no official figures have been revealed by Jaguar, the concept stats suggest the I-Pace could be a real headache for Musk and Tesla.

A maximum power output of 396bhp and 700 Nm of torque has been quoted, while sprints from a standstill to 62mph should take less than four seconds.

And with a range of 310 miles and a price tag starting from £60,000, it gazumps the most affordable Tesla Model X that's on sale today.

2018 Jaguar I-Pace vs 2017 Tesla Model X 75D

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JAGUAR I-PACE

Available: Mid-2018

Price (claimed): from around £60,000

Power (claimed): 396bhp

Torque (claimed): 700Nm

0-62mph (claimed): less than 4 seconds

Top speed: n/a

Range (claimed): 310 miles

Doors: 5

Seats: 5

TESLA MODEL X 75D

Available: Now

Price: £70,500

Power: 256bhp

Torque: 249Nm

0-60mph: 4.9 seconds

Top speed: 130mph

Range: 259 miles

Doors: 5 (Falcon-wing rear doors)

Seats: 7A more comparable Model X would be the 100D with a claimed range of 351 miles - though that car costs from a whopping £87,200, some £27,000 more than the Jaguar is expected to retail for.

Ian Hoban, Jaguar Vehicle Line Director, said: 'After 1.5 million global test miles, the I-Pace is ready for production and is proven to deliver long distances on a single charge.

'Jaguar's first battery electric vehicle will also be fast to charge; our target is a zero to 80 per cent charge being achievable in a short break.'

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Jaguar said the concept version of the I-Pace would be capable of covering 310 miles on a single charge. If the production car can replicate that figure it will go for 51 miles longer than a Tesla Model X 75

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Jaguar said it conducted some of the car's final tests in the US to mark the first year anniversary of the concept car breaking cover

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The car was hard to miss driving along Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in this electric-shock camouflage, designed to hide the styling features of the vehicle

Full specification and pricing for Jaguar's electric performance SUV will be announced in March 2018 when the red tape for the order books is cut.

That means Elon Musk will have to wait another three months before learning if the I-Pace will be a real threat to his electric-vehicl

ABOUT THE FRIENDS AND FOE OF Hitler: Hermann Goering AND ROMMEL

Hermann Goering was a Nazi political and military leader and in effect, Hitler's second in command

In 1935, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, a position he held until the end of the regime

The images are in Blaine Taylor's new book, Hermann Goering: Blumenkrieg, from Vienna to Prague 1938-39

Fascinating photographs from the personal albums of one of Hitler's closest confidants, Hermann Goering, have shed light on the events leading up to the beginning of World War Two.

The images, which illustrate the Nazi's last year in power before the war broke out, are featured in American author Blaine Taylor's new book, Hermann Goering: Blumenkrieg, from Vienna to Prague 1938-39.

Goering was a Nazi political and military leader and in effect, Hitler's second in command.

In 1935, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe (air force), a position he held until the final days of the regime.

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Hitler is pictured at the christening of his goddaughter Edda, the daughter of Hermann Goering, on November 4 1938, just five days before the Nazi Kristallnacht pogrom against German Jewry

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Mother Emmy cradles her daughter Edda so their Führer can get a better look at his goddaughter. Hermann Goering sits on the left

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Goering is greeted by his Führer at Hitler's Mercedes-Benz 770K Grosser open touring car that annually served as the reviewing stand on Adolf Hitler Plaza yearly between 1933-38

The year 1938-39 was when Hitler set out on the road of pre-war bloodless conquests, which led to the actual shooting combat over Poland in September 1939.

Both willing and unwilling, Goering was his main acolyte in achieving the peaceful military occupations of Austria and the Czech-German Sudetenland in 1938, followed by that of Bohemia and Moravia.

As minister in charge of the Four Year Plan, Goering became concerned with the lack of natural resources in Germany, and began pushing for Austria to be incorporated into the Reich.

Hitler had always been in favour of a takeover of Austria, his native country. He met on February 12, 1938 with Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg, threatening invasion if peaceful unification was not forthcoming.

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Accomplished archer Goering draws back his bow in aim, wearing protective leather gloves and forearm gauntlets, plus an all-leather outfit from top to bottom (left). Cigar in hand, the Nazi yachtsman (right) gives a good-natured wave to his photographer as they pass through the Rhine-Herne Canal on 20 July 1939. He holds a copy of the Illustrated Times magazine, with another title on the sofa at bottom

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Goering (third from left, left hand on sword hilt) hugs a young admirer, possibly his nephew and the brother of his Austrian niece, Roswitha Huber. Smiling also from left is Dr Gritzbach in SS black, and the man in charge of Hermann's rail travel, Fritz Görnnert. At far right is seen a smiling Kurt Daluege, the chief of the national uniformed Ordnungspolizei of Nazi Germany. The man in the jaunty hat to his right is unknown, as is also the SS man at center rear. By 1935, Lufthansa, of which Goering as aviation minister was also responsible, had extended its overseas lines beyond the Atlantic Ocean, and also to both the Near and Far East

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From left to right, in conversation: German Foreign Office Interpreter Dr Paul Schmidt, a pensive Hermann Goering in Air Force dress and a somber President Hoover

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Goering's front man in securing peace rather than war at Munich was his former guest Italian Premier Benito Mussolini (1883-1945). Here, Goering at left renders a casual backhanded Nazi salute and not a wave to Mussolini at centre in formal morning coat, returning Hermann's greeting

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On 16 January 1938, Goering as Commander-in-Chief of the German Air Force (second from right) stands between two Luftwaffe sentries with rifles at Shoulder Arms at the main entrance to his country estate 35 miles from Berlin, Carinhall, named in honor of his first wife, Swedish Countess Carin von Fock Goering (1888-1931)

As a result, the Nazi annexing of Austria is sometimes called the Blumenkrieg (war of flowers), though the official name was Unternehmen Otto. For the Germans, it was seen as the first big test of their war machine although as it turned out, no actual fighting took place.

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The Italian delegation to the Four-Power Munich Conference leaving the train station at rear, 29 September 1938. From left to right: Goering, Italian Fascist Foreign Minister since 1936 Count Ciano, Hitler, Mussolini, and an unknown German Army officer giving a military hand salute. The officer third from right in the back row is Hitler's Army Personnel Officer and military adjutant Col. Rudolf Schmundt, while second from right is Army Gen. Keitel

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A frontal view of the same speaker's lectern and stand. Gauleiter Eigruber is seen in right facial profile at left rear of the podium, while the man at far left is fellow Gauleiter Josef Burckel of Vienna, a German sent to rule over Austrians. Stiff international air races for trophies like the prestigious Schneider Cup soon showed that the biplane of the First World War was an aircraft of the past, and that of the future was the monoplane instead. At Linz, Goering thundered: 'We have great plans for Austria. There will be power stations, a new autobahn, armament works, new industries, harbors, and social measures'

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Reichstag President Goering in Air Force dress uniform presides on 18 March 1938 above and behind Hitler underneath an enormous German eagle with outstretched wingspan whose talons clutch a laurel leaf-enclosed swastika. As the Führer delivers his speech on the Austrian annexation, seated at left is Reich Chancellery State Secretary Dr Hans Heinrich Lammers (1879-1962), and at right, Press Chief Dr Otto Dietrich. The epicenter of Hermann's world was one man only: Adolf Hitler, on whom his sun rose and set. 'This bond was the single most important key to political survival' in Nazi Germany, as Overy among many others declared

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The VIPs review a Luftwaffe honor guard with rifles and bayonets at Present Arms on 26 March 1938 at Aspern Airport. From left to right: the reviewers are Löhr, Sperrle, Goering, and Bodenschatz, with the officer at center behind them unknown

The Nazis had won their first battle without a bullet being fired and Goering received huge credit and adulation for his success.

'As the fateful year of 1938 opened, Hermann Goering was well and truly master of all his domains, both personal and political,' wrote Taylor in the book's introduction.

'His closest associates-such as his former press secretary Martin Sommerfeldt-had been amazed at the change in his personality all for the worse after but one year in office, January 1933-January 1934.

'Indeed, on his forty-fifth birthday on 12 January 1938 - a date also fateful in another connection, as we shall see -the annual practice of enforced gift-giving and outright graft to him from both Nazi Party and German State offices began that continued unabated right into the final period of the regime in 1945.

'Other than in the person of Adolf Hitler alone, there were no checks of any kinds on the power and desires of Hermann Goering.'

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The Armée de l'Air courtesy return visit to Nazi Germany in August 1938 featured a gala reception for the Gallic aerial delegation hosted by Goering (center) at Carinhall, once again resplendent in dazzling Luftwaffe summer uniform whites. From left to right: Interpreter Dr Schmidt, this time decked out in Air Force blue on Goering's command, although he was not an airman; Armée de l'Air officer with hand in pocket; Gen. Vuillemin looking into the lens; French Ambassador to the Third Reich André François-Poncet (1887-1978); Goering with cigar; and six blue-clad Armée de l'Air officers. Second from right with cigar is French Embassy AF attaché Col. Paul Stehlin, a post-war Armée de l'Air C-in-C, whom Bodenschatz used as 'an informed source' before, during, and after the Sudeten crisis of 1938. Note the pair of outdoor lampposts and the log motif serving as a backdrop

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The smile that warmed a war criminal's heart: Mrs Emmy Sonnemann Goering (1893-1973) attired in natty sailor suit and cap. Note the anchor on her blouse at center, taken on 17 June 1936, when she was aged thirty-nine. By all accounts, Emmy was a simple, unaffected woman whom most people liked, even if they found her a bit naïve regarding the harsh world of Nazi politics. Years later, Hitler remembered fondly that she 'was the first woman to congratulate' him upon his appointment as Reich Chancellor by President von Hindenburg on 30 January 1933, the same day that her husband took office. Ever the opportunist, Hermann put her up to it: 'Go and take some flowers to Hitler early tomorrow morning. He will certainly be pleased!' He was. As a stage actress, Emmy well knew what she was doing

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Field Marshal Goering salutes a happy crowd in Austria on 25 March 1938. His electoral swing through Austria took place during 25 March to 2 April 1938 and included Wels, Linz, Vienna, Wiener-Neustadt, Eisenerz, Graz, Bleiberg, Tamswegg, Mautenberg, Mauterndorf, and Salzburg

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Hermann holds aloft the symbol of his power, his boast of earlier years to his friends now having come true: 'None of you chaps will ever be field marshals!' Keitel is seen at rear just over Goeringís right shoulder. Dr Gritzbach noted: 'When he travels, he is just as busy! Official tours are not holiday trips. Goering is always on duty. There are always things to be dealt with as the day's work goes on, and after a journey he returns to find a desk with papers awaiting him'

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On 25 March 1938, Goering officially received the handover of the former Austrian Air Force to Germany by its commander under both countries, Gen. Alexander Löhr, saluting hand to cap at far right. Note the hastily mounted German Air Force wings on his cap! The man saluting at center is an unidentified German Air Force officer. Gen. Löhr went on to hold important Air Force commands during the Second World War under his new chief, Goering.

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To celebrate the Third Reich's bloodless reoccupation of the former German Rhineland, Goering embarked on a combined automobile Rhine River cruise on 17 March 1936. Here just under the overhead banner that reads 'A victory hail for Our Hermann' he stands at center in the lead vehicle of the motorcade of at least a dozen cars

Prior to this, Goering played perhaps the key role in the Nazi overthrow of the Third Reich's conservative military and foreign services, being named field marshal as his reward.

A major factor in making the Allies back down to Germany at the infamous Munich Pact Conference, Goering's Luftwaffe was the key bargaining chip that gained these unprecedented territorial acquisitions for Hitler - all without a shot being fired.

He also helped achieve alliances with Fascist Slovakia and Italy. The year 1938 also witnessed Goering's role in the aftermath of the Kristallnacht action against German Jews that was a notable way station on the road to the Holocaust.

In the pre-war years, Goering enjoyed widespread personal popularity among the German public because of his perceived sociability, colour and humour.

Hermann Goering: Blumenkrieg, from Vienna to Prague 1938-39, by Blaine Taylor and published by Fonthill Media is available now. RRP £25.

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The two major discussants at the 12 November 1938 post-Kristallnacht Conference were Dr Goebbels (left) and Goering (center), seen here at a Nazi rally at Berlin's famed Sportpalast arena

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Two political opposites ignore each other: French Premier Édouard Daladier and a bloated Goering, now decked out in Luftwaffe summer whites. Trying to cheer up the glum French pol, Our Hermann simply jumped into the latter's assigned car, uninvited. The ploy failed, 30 September 1938

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Goering and the Four-Year Plan during 1938-39: Here he is seen displaying the common touch in miner's suit, lamp, and hard hat helmet at center as he prepares to descend a German coal mine shaft to visit workers, accompanied by Reich Sport Leader Hans von Tschammer und Osten, also in miner's kit

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The former Austrian Army parades past a saluting Goering at left on Vienna's famous Heldenplatz. They had Nazi eagles sewn onto their uniform jackets on the left breast, 27 March 1938. The men appear to be executing a sort of modified goose step. In a speech given at Vienna, Goering reportedly asserted that 'the Jew must clearly understand one thing at once: he must get out!' In March 1935, when the Luftwaffe was officially unveiled, its strength was 1,888 airplanes of all types, staffed by 20,000 officers and enlisted men, supported by thirty to forty airframe and engine manufacturers

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Another scene from Hermann's forty-fifth birthday at Berlin, 12 January 1938. From left to right: a caped Goering, Körner, the RFSS, Daluege looking away from the lens, and SD chief SS Gen. Reinhard Heydrich. Goering, Daluege, and Heydrich all took part in the post-Kristallnacht economic conference at the Reich Air Ministry Building of 12 November 1938

The men who stopped Rommel: One of a handful of desperate soldiers remembers how they halted the Nazis' most brilliant general in his tracks and helped turn the course of the Second World War

Major F.R. Jephson's book documents the First Battle of Alamein from July 1, to July 27, 1942 at Ruweisat Ridge

Rommel broke centre of British defences where his tanks overwhelmed 18th Indian Infantry Brigade's defence

A small number of men stood in his way to reach the Suez Canal and he withdrew his forces for the first time

Sir Winston Churchill said: 'Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat'

The fascinating story detailing how one of Nazi Germany's most talented WW2 generals was stopped by British troops, leading to the Allies' eventual victory has been revealed in a book.

Written by Major F.R. Jephson MC TD the book follows the First Battle of Alamein which took place from July 1, to July 27, 1942 at Ruweisat Ridge in the Egyptian desert.

On July 1, 1942, Erwin Rommel broke the centre of British defences at Alamein where his tanks overwhelmed the defence of the 18th Indian Infantry Brigade - for the next twelve hours there was no organised defence and only a small number of men stood in Rommel's way to reach the Suez Canal and saw him withdraw his forces for the first time since January that year at El Aghelia.

In his History of the Second World War, vol. 4 (1951), Winston Churchill wrote, 'It may almost be said, "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat."'

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Written by Major F.R. Jephson MC TD (left) the book follows the First Battle of Alamein which took place from July 1, to July 27, 1942 at Ruweisat Ridge. Pictured right is Erwin Rommel, who was a German general and military theorist. Popularly known as the Desert Fox, he served as field marshal in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II

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General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, June 1941 to August 1942. He was replaced as Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command by General Sir Harold Alexander (later Field Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis) after Churchill and the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Alan Brooke, lost confidence in him

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El Alamein, Battle of (23 Oct-4 Nov 1942). The World War 2 battle, named after a village on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, ended in the victory of the British Eighth Army commanded by Montgomery over Rommel's Afrika Korps. It proved to be the turning point in the war in Africa. British armoured cars driving through a barrage from German lines

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Pictured are some of the soldiers from the battle in a rugby line-up. Famously, Sir Winston Churchill said: 'Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.'

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Plan of attack: How the forces were deployed on the eve of the battle in 1942. By October, General Montgomery had amassed an army of nearly 200,000 men, more than 1,000 tanks, around 1,000 artillery pieces and more than 500 aircraft

El Alamein - the first and second battles

The World War II Battle of El Alamein - which began on October 23, 1942 - pitched the forces of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's against the Afrika Korps of Germany's Erwin Rommel.

An initial battle, from July 1 to 27 1942, prevented a second advance of the Axis forces into Egypt. However, as a result of the battle, the Eighth Army suffered more than 13,000 casualties in July, including 4,000 in the 2nd New Zealand Division, 3,000 in the 5th Indian Infantry Division and 2,552 battle casualties in the 9th Australian Division but had taken 7,000 prisoners and inflicted heavy damage on Axis men and machines. On July 27, Auchinleck said the troops would not be able to attack again until September.

In the second battle, defeat of the German and Italian troops put an end to the ambitions of Hitler and Mussolini to take over the port of Alexandria on the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal.

The battle was a major turning point in the war, halting the advance of the Axis in North Africa and paving the way for the final victory there the following year. The incredible story has been unveiled in the book, The Day Rommel Was Stopped: The Battle of Ruweisat Ridge, 2 July 1942. It is published by Casemate Publishers.

Chris Jephson, co-author, has written in the book's introduction: 'My father was inspired to start work on the research for this book by a number of events, not least the 25th anniversary of the First Battle of Alamein in 1967. On the 2 July 2017 it will be 75 years since the battle and that only reinforces the desire to see my father's work finally published.

'My father worked on the research well into the 1990s as his health started to deteriorate. He had been there, on Ruweisat, on 2 July 1942 and in fact remained there until November that year, but was aware that his own view of the events was only one view.

'He developed and maintained an extensive correspondence with many others who had been there.

'He made a series of undated working drafts, but, due to ill health was never able to complete the work.'

Erwin Rommel was a German general and military theorist also known as the Desert Fox. He was eventually defeated by Bernard Montgomery's British troops in the Second Battle of Alamein in November 1942.

'His concern was not to glorify the war. It was providing missing knowledge about the day when Rommel was finally stopped and the tide of the Second World War started to turn in the Allies' favour,' Mr Jephson added.

'Even more importantly, it was to provide some better recognition to the men of the very divers small force that came together as Robcol that day and which was described a few days later by the commander, Brigadier Rob Waller as 'being nobody's child'. His ambition was to trace as many as possible of those who had been there.'

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The British defence of Ruweisat Ridge relied on an improvised formation called 'Robcol', consisting a regiment each of field artillery and light anti-aircraft artillery and a company of infantry. Above, Sir Auchinleck's message of congratulations to Robcol, dated 3 July 1942. It reads: 'C-in-c (commander-in-chief congratulates Colonel Waller (Robert Waller) and Robcol on their good work yesterday. That was the spirit that is wanted. Corps CMD adds his congratulations'.

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Major F.R. Jephson is pictured with two comrades. Chris Jephson, co-author, has written in the book's introduction: 'My father was inspired to start work on the research for this book by a number of events, not least the 25th anniversary of the First Battle of Alamein in 1967'

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Major F.R. Jephson is pictured years later with a 25-pounder Quick Firing Gun, Mark II. It was the standard British and Commonwealth field gun of the Second World War. This example, a Mark II gun on a Mark I carriage, served with 11 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery in North Africa. On July 2, 1942, it helped to halt a major German advance at Ruweisat Ridge, where the Regiment suffered 25 per casualties during the fiercely-fought action

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E Troop, 11th Field Regiment RA's 25-pounder Quick Firing Gun, Mark II on display at the Imperial War Museum. Jephson added: 'On the 2 July 2017 it will be 75 years since the battle and that only reinforces the desire to see my father's work finally published'

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A soldier walks past the graves of fallen World War II soldiers, on October 20, 2012, during an international commemoration organized by Britain, to mark 70 years since the decisive battle that sealed the Allied victory in North Africa

Erwin Rommel: The top General who fell out of favour with the Nazis

He was feared and respected by Britain's wartime generals, but Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was not universally loved by the Nazis.

He was caught unawares by the D-Day landings because he was on his way to ask Hitler for permission to rearrange troops in France.

Rommel had to make an urgent return in a failed bid to stop the Allied advance - but he fell out of favour with the Nazi high command.

His apparent disobedience of orders to kill Allied spies would not have helped and according to his son Manfred, in the summer of 1944 the general wanted to surrender as he faced increased Allied troops.

Hitler was having none of it - as he wanted to take the German people with him to the grave.

Finally Rommel was forced to take his own life after being implicated in a failed plot to kill the Nazi leader.

The general took cyanide so his family would be spared in October 1944, just four months after the D-Day landings.

The true reasons behind his death were covered up until just a few years ago, when a report emerged by a doctor who confessed he had falsified the death certificate - to say Rommel died of a heart attack.

All over the world in different countries, cultures, tongues, and colors are people who have the same basic desire for happiness and respect from his fellow men. We are the same all over as members of the human race. If we honor each other's boundaries with propriety and consideration our voyage thru life can be rich in knowledge and friendship..........AMOR PATRIAE

General Gregorio del Pilar P.A.

From morning till noon he repelled charge after charge he tenaciously held on with a handful of men through the heat and agony of battle, till he himself fell dead among his slain soldiers. It was on this mountain summit, overlooking the plains, and the shores of his country, a massive tremendous altar.....